


Tough but Fair

by rainbowgoddess



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-05
Updated: 2011-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-22 06:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowgoddess/pseuds/rainbowgoddess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Mike deliberately loses the mock trial in the episode "Play the Man," he's devastated by the things Harvey said about him having a weak stomach and not having what it takes. Harvey is concerned and goes to check on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tough but Fair

It was later that evening, after the "celebrating" was over, when Mike heard a knock at his apartment door. He had no idea who could possibly be at his door at this time of night, but he opened it to find Harvey standing there. Harvey was wearing that black shirt he'd worn the night before. Mike hoped he wasn't staring too hard at his boss, because that shirt did something to him.

"Wh... Why are you here?" Mike stammered.

"I was concerned about you," Harvey answered. "Well? Are you going to invite me in?"

Mike was tempted to make some smart remark like, "Why? Are you a vampire?" but he stepped aside and allowed Harvey to come in. "Why are you concerned about me? You think I'm that upset about losing?"

"If you're not, you should be," Harvey said. "Jessica told me what she said to you. But no, that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I think you're mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?" Mike asked.

"You tell me," Harvey replied. "Why are you mad at me?"

Mike turned away from Harvey, because looking at Harvey, especially when Harvey was wearing that black shirt, made him want to jump Harvey's bones. He didn't answer the question.

"Mike," Harvey prompted. "Tell me the truth. Why are you mad at me?"

"Because I can't be like you!" Mike blurted. "I want you to be proud of me. But you want me to be another you, and I can't be that. I can't be like you. I can't stop caring about people. I can't turn myself into some sort of fucking robot who will do anything to win a case regardless of whose feelings get hurt. I wouldn't make Rachel cry just so that I could beat Kyle, no matter how soft that makes me.

"I wanted to be like you. Or I thought I did. But I can't be. I can't be like that. You say that I'm weak-stomached because I care about people. If caring makes me a bad lawyer, well, I'm not actually a lawyer anyway."

Harvey walked over to Mike and put a hand on his shoulder. "Mike, I don't want you to be another me. There is only one me, and that's enough. I don't want you to stop caring about people, but I do want you to realize that you have a job to do, and sometimes that means that people will get hurt, regardless of your intentions. If you stop doing your job because someone gets upset or teary-eyed, that's not fair to your client. People will find a way to manipulate you if they think you're soft. Sometimes you have to be rough on people. All you can do is try to minimize the damage as best you can. People will appreciate that about you, and it might even help you gain clients. Remember the case I had with the cab driver who hit my car? I could have totally bankrupted his business, but I didn't. Like I said, I'm tough, but I'm fair.

"When you were in that mock trial, what you needed to do was find a way to question Rachel that wouldn't make her cry. You're a smart guy. You can think on your feet. You'd better be able to think on your feet, anyway. Either that or you could have just made it up to her later, since you and she seem to have something going on. None of the other associates would have cared about Rachel's feelings, so that puts you ahead of them."

"I don't have anything going on with Rachel," Mike told Harvey. "She won't date anyone she works with."

"Is that what's really bothering you? Did you think that if you went easy on her, she'd change her mind, or something?"

"That's not what's bothering me," Mike protested.

"Then what's really going on, Mike? I don't think you've told me the whole truth yet."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Mike admitted. "When I saw you watching me at the end of the trial, and I saw the look on your face, I felt like I'd really let you down, and I hate that. I want you to like me. I want you to be proud of me. I want to live up to your expectations. I don't want you to be sorry you hired me as your associate."

"I'm not sorry, Mike," Harvey said.

"That's good. I'm.... I'm really glad to hear that. I'm just afraid that I'm going to mess up again, like I did when I let Gabby escape. I.... I just.... Fuck, Harvey, you're distracting me."

"Distracting you how?" Harvey was totally bewildered by Mike's digression.

"Do you have any idea how completely and totally hot you are, Harvey? I've seen you in casual clothes maybe twice in the entire time I've known you. This is the third time. That black shirt on you.... All right, you want to know the whole truth? The whole truth is that I have the hots for you, Harvey, and I think I might also be a little bit in love with you, and it's making me nuts. And when I disappointed you, that made me feel worse than it would have if I weren't in love with you."

"But what about Rachel, or Jenny, the blonde who was your witness in the mock trial?" Harvey asked.

Mike blushed and looked down at the floor. "Well, Rachel won't go out with me, and Jenny's nice but she's really Trevor's girlfriend. With you, though.... I never thought I had a chance with you."

"You never know until you try, Mikey," Harvey responded, taking Mike in his arms and kissing him.

After they broke apart, Mike said, "Could you teach me, Harvey? Help me learn how to be tough and fair at the same time, how to be caring without being too soft?"

"After," Harvey stated.

"After what?"

"After I take you to bed."

END


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